Along the way, I continued checking on IRIS. I looked up and realized we were driving past the village we stayed in for a short while.
Zarina broke the silence, startling me as I dropped IRIS,
"What are you doing, Aléssio ?"
I looked to her and smiled,
"There's a village here. We stayed here for a while. Perhaps it's your village, or are you from Elysium Ark ?"
Zarina turned and realized she was blind,
"Oh right... Yes, I'm from Earth. I miss my family dearly. Could you please describe the village we're passing by ?"
I nodded, it was normal to forget that she was blind if she got excited,
"Well, the houses stand on narrow wooden platforms. There are slippers in front of the houses. The walls are woven from bamboos. And..."
A bunch of people had gathered around some bushes. Most of them had dried up, leaving only its branches around.
Zarina's expression turned somber,
"I suppose they're around a bush right ? Don't worry, it's not a big deal. We do that all the time..."
The TerraRider screeched in the middle of the village. Skov dismounted Varelius' Noctryix and walked over to Zarina, gently taking her hand.
Sheng Yue looked back and smiled,
"Go ahead Zarina. Your beloved wants accompany you to grab your headscarf. Don't worry, we're not cruel enough to leave both of you there !"
Zarina held onto Skov's hand and jumped off from the external cargo rack. As they venture deeper to the village, I stole a glance at the people who are still around the bushes.
People were practically screaming and pushing each other. I leaned closer so I could hear better.
A man shouted as he pushed a kid,
"Get out of here ! This bushes are for me ! Only me !"
The man was immediately shoved by another,
"I'm the oldest one here ! It should've been mine !"
The fight continued. They were pushing each other to grasp an air from the bush. Yes, I knew that the air in Earth is polluted. I was lucky to be transferred to Elysium Ark and received a free Oxygen Mask.
I touched my face, the Gas Mask was thin and transparent. Even though it can't be seen, we all know that those who lives in Elysium Ark had one.
It was the only way so people could breath clean air. Most people had to spend their money to obtain it. But due to my previous job as an actor, I managed to have it for free since they're the ones paying it.
I was about to get back to where I was sitting, a child's voice was coming from where the fight is still ongoing.
I scanned around the crowd and immediately recognized the young kid. It was that kid who tried to greet me before.
The elders and men continued pushing each other just to breathe. The young kid was holding a sick man who was coughing violently as blood dropped from his mouth.
His bones were nearly out of his skin. I stared at that man. A mix of emotions swarmed against me. I felt horrified, pitiful, disgusted, everything that words can't fully describe.
The man was holding a stick to support him in walking. But nothing lasted long as a bulky man pushed him to the ground and kicked the young kid away.
Everyone was grabbing the stick from that man. The child tried to intervene but was constantly pulled away. The mother of the kid ran out and dragged the kid away.
The kid sobbed and screamed,
"Pa ! Ma, please ! Papa is still there !"
The sight of it made me sick even if it was a basic human nature.
I was about to jump off before Varelius stopped me.
He held my arm and pulled me back,
"Let them be. If you try to interfere, they'll beat you up. We have no authority here. They despise us."
I looked at him, his eyes were red and glossy. He closed his eyes and sighed before going back to where he was.
I frowned,
"Hey... have I give you your Replica Shard yet ?"
I know I did held his Replica Shard, but I couldn't remember whether I had returned it.
He looked at me in confusion,
"It's been with me. What's wrong ?"
I nodded, my memories are still foggy as I couldn't remember much. I continued to stare at the fight. I clasped my hands and sighed.
I wanted to pray for them. I wanted to give them a blessing or a simply let them know that I care. But did they know me ? Will they accept it ? What is a prayer for if there are no efforts ?
I held my breath and lowered my hands. I stood up and walked to where I was sitting. It's very cruel indeed to not be able to help anyone.
Zarina and Skov returned shortly after. Skov helped Zarina to climb back and placed the pile of head scarfs beside her. He smiled at her before head to the Noctryix.
Zarina blushed a little and hid her face under her arms. At least she could feel safe now with her headscarf back on.
The TerraRider screeched as we continued continued our journey toward our spaceship. Arlo looked at me and raised his hand. He was about to say something, but no words came out.
He closed his mouth and looked at the front again. I blinked and decided to take a glance at my surroundings.
The ground was cracked. Dead trees and sticks were scattered every where. There were no signs of water nearby. Overall, it was cause due to abnormal heat.
My eyes fluttered as I yawned. I covered my mouth with my hand before leaning onto the external cargo racks' railing.
Everything turned black as the heat continue to build up while I drifted sleep.
◇ ◇ ◇
The engine from the TerraRider stopped humming. I jolted awake as Sheng Yue slammed the brakes, creating a loud screech.
I looked around frantically, scanning my surroundings.
Sheng Yue got out of the TerraRider and stretched,
"Come on. We've arrived. You guys get in first so I can park the TerraRider and Varelius' Noctryix inside."
All of us got out. I jumped down and crouched slightly as I landed. I grabbed IRIS and headed into the spaceship.
The moment I got in, Shin Hayato addressed us,
"Gather at the briefing nook. We'll discuss our next move."
Varelius trailed behind Shin Hayato, keeping his head down all the time. Arlo held Zarina's hand to guide her.
Cassandra crossed her arms behind her head, whistling as she walked. I looked behind to see Skov and Sheng Yue parking their vehicles.
Sheng Yue pressed a button, causing the door to shut. Skov sprinted around to catch up with Zarina.
I waited for Sheng Yue while holding IRIS,
"Are you done yet ?"
Sheng Yue brushed a bit of dust from her shoulder and beamed,
"Yup ! I'm done ! Now let's gather with the rest !"
She placed a hand on my shoulder as we walked together.
The moment we arrived, the atmosphere was tense and everyone looked at Sheng Yue.
Shin Hayato asked, his voice filled with authority,
"Can you track where they are ?"
Sheng Yue tilted her head and pointed at herself,
"Me ? Of course I can !"
She strode to the center of the room, typing on the large holographic projector. She tapped a circle labeled [Units from Saviors Program].
The holographic displayed networks from one circle in the center, connecting to bunch of units.
Sheng Yue swiped through the holographic while tapping different icons,
"No... Not this... Damn it, why are there so many units !? I need to search for them one by one to find their names—"
She paused for a moment and backed a little. The screen showed [Unit 1] in the center with several of arrows connecting to different names.
One of them has the name [Htet Naing] written.
Sheng Yue pressed the [Unit 1], causing the screen to split in half. On the right side, several options appeared.
She selected the [Tracking] option.
The holographic reformed into a large map of the Earth.
A small arrow marked in red was showed, heading towards Russia.
Sheng Yue pointed and exclaimed,
"They're heading to Russia !"
Shin Hayato immediately gave orders,
"Sheng Yue, head to the cockpit ! Cassandra and Skov, prepare yourselves for the battles ahead !"
He looked down and crouched to meet Arlo's gaze,
"And you, try to take care of people's injuries in the medical corner."
Arlo nodded and gently guided Zarina away, planning to treat whatever injuries Zarina has.
I looked to Shin Hayato,
"What about me ?"
Shin Hayato turned back as he was about to head to the cockpit,
"As for you... perhaps you can help Varelius or repair anything that are broken in the engineering bay."
I raised my hand to stop him from going further. I still had more questions, but I was too far to grasp him.
I stood alone in the briefing nook.
I looked down to my hand that was still holding onto IRIS. I tossed it lightly around my hand and sighed.
I walked toward the engineering bay, planning to fix IRIS and Skov's Noctryix.
Perhaps I should stick to fixing things rather than going into battles.